Fight
by AlphaWolf45
Summary: What if Buffy had a diiferent type of childhood. No pairings
1. Chapter 1

1. Chapter One

Trust

Declaimer: I don't own Star gate or Buffy the vampire slayer. They are both owned by their respective companies.

Airmen's Creed

I am an American Airman.

I am a Warrior.

I have answered my Nation's call.

I am an American Airman.

My mission is to Fly, Fight, and Win.

I am faithful to a Proud Heritage,

A Tradition of Honor,

And a Legacy of Valor.

I am an American Airman.

Guardian of Freedom and Justice,

My Nation's Sword and Shield,

Its Sentry and Avenger.

I defend my Country with my Life.

I am an American Airman.

Wingman, Leader, Warrior.

I will never leave an Airman behind,

I will never falter,

And I will not fail.

-United States Air Force

Revised as of: Nov,9

August 3, 1981

He was a military man. Plain and simple. His father, his father's father and his father's grandfather were military men. The military had been in their family for generations.

The family can boast of having fought in every major United States war since the American Revolution.

But, for him, the family line had ended. He had no wife and no children. The only woman he had ever loved, besides his mother, had passed away when he was stationed overseas.

The irony was not lost on him. There he was, in a war zone where he faced bombs, bullets and horrid food and it was she, safe and sound in the States, who had left him all alone.

Illness, the doctors said, wasted away her once healthy body. His wife never told him she was sick. She most likely had not wanted him to worry about her. After all, a distracted soldier had a great possibility of becoming a dead soldier.

The only comfort he took was that she didn't feel a thing as she died in obliviously in her sleep.

He continued to serve in the army until a head injury took him out several years later.

A bomb had exploded from under his truck while he was driving medical supplies to and from field hospitals. Doctors said another serious blow to the head his could possibly kill him so, he was sent home. To say he wasn't thrilled was an understatement.

When he came home to California, he decided to transfer over. Sheppard Air Force Base became his new home where he spent most of his time barking at the younger men and molding them into warriors fit for battle. Seeing his charges come and go, however, wore on him deeply.

When his contract came up for renewal, he decided to allow the younger generation to take his place, ones who could answer the call of duty without of limitations. He walked out of the base with the garrison's salute and approval. Head held high and his weathered boots on the pavement, he left to start living a civilian's life.

Purchasing forty acres of land in the northern portion of Texas with money he'd accumulated over the years, he built a small, white house with a barn attached to it and a small forge so he could continue his childhood hobby of smithing.

After a few years, he started up a small farm on the western part of the land. He hired several workers, allowing them to bring families with them, to tend to the crops while he made a variety of high quality items such as daggers and swords in his forge.

He lived a fairly peaceful and comfortable life in his little niche of the world but it didn't completely erase the loneliness he had felt ever since his wife's passing. The golden waves of grain, green pastures filled with horses colored by an artist's palette and the small ponds littering the property served only as a small distraction against the empty void that was his heart.

Then came the day when his niece came to live with him and also found out that his younger brother along with his sister-in-law died in a car accident.

A young girl, no more than 9 years old, stared at him with haunted, old eyes. He asked the social worker why his niece had such old eyes and his response shook him to core.

The middle-aged social worker told him that his young niece had been in the car accident with her parents. Somehow, she managed to escape from the twisted mangled mess of the blue Sedan. She stood on the side of the road, screaming at people watching to get her mommy and daddy out of the car. Nobody moved. They already knew that there was no possible way to reach the couple. The car had caught on fire and spread to the interior of the car. A young man standing behind her, watching, covered her eyes and ears as her parents screams of pain filled the air. He lifted her up and carried her away from the horrifying scene. The man took his niece in for a time because of difficulties in locating him.

Mark couldn't believe it. Such a little girl shouldn't have been exposed to a scene like that. Such horror should never have happened especially a child as young as her.

Not long after his arrival, the social worker left. He watched as his small niece wander about in his small, cramped home. She looked at the various pictures most of which were taken during his years in the service.

She stopped at one particular photo. Mark knew that photo very well.

It was him in his fatigues, M-21 slung over his shoulder. Around him, soldiers sat in clusters as fighters took off in the background. There was nothing of significance that she would know about in that photo. After all, how was she to know that was the last photo he had taken before the bomb took him out of the battlefield.

He had no knowledge on how to handle children, let alone one with her experience. Damaged. Traumatized.

"You were a soldier?" she ask, her soft voice clearly heard across the deathly quiet room.

"Yeah." he replied. He knew it would be pointless to deny. Evidence was everywhere. All you had to do was look around the room.

"So, what rank were you?" she asked curiously. Her voice was calm, devoid of all other emotion. This isn't how normal traumatized people acted so close to such a horrifying event.

"I was a Colonel in the U.S. Army." he said keeping his answer short.

"What made you retire?" She asked as she twisted he blond covered head to glance at his direction.

That question caught him off guard. "Why do you ask that?"

"Something made you. You don't seem like the kind of person to just give up fighting without a good reason." Turning her whole body toward him, she shrugged her small shoulders.

He raised an eyebrow questionably.

"So, are you going to tell me or simply stand there?."

'Dang,' he thought impressed, 'This girl is something else, that's for sure.'

"I'll make you a deal. If you tell me why you are asking me these questions, then I'll tell you. Deal?"

She frowned. "Fine, I guess. Well, since you probably learned lots of things in the military, I want you to teach me those things. I want to get stronger. Get better. Even though I'm blond, it doesn't mean that I'm stupid. I know what happened to Mommy and Daddy wasn't my fault. But still, I can't help but think that if I would have been a little faster, I could've gotten someone to help them out of the car before the fire spread." she finished with tears gathering on the corners of her emerald eyes.

Mark was silent. He could hear the guilt in her voice, the self-loathing he had experienced many times himself every single time he lost a man in combat. He decided not to comment after all he had a promise to complete.

"It happened about 9 years ago. The Vietnam War was winding down. My regiment was one of the last ones out of the country. I was driving my truck, transporting medical supplies to and from the temporary hospitals that had been built just about everywhere in that jungle. In minute, I was drivin' and minding my own business when a bomb in the munitions truck in front of me went off. I had to be airlifted from the jungles to medical ship on the coast. When I got back to the States, the doctors here told me that I couldn't be sent out on active duty overseas because of the head injury I received. After that, I tried wrap my head around the fact that if my men were to be sent into battle, I wouldn't be able to follow. So, two years later, when my contract came up for renewal, I didn't renew it. I left my base with their blessing and came out here to start a new life for myself."

They both stood in silence. Mark went off to oversee the work being done across the property, introducing the nine year old when necessary.

It wasn't until dinner when either of them spoke.

"I have a proposition for you. If, when school starts, you get the best grades in your class, I'll train you as I would one of the cadets. Deal?" asked Mark sternly, stabbing a fork in her general direction.

She thought for a minute then, she nodded, a small smile. "You got yourself a deal Mark Kenneth Summers."

Mark raised an eyebrow.

"What? I had a lot of time to read during the car ride from California to Texas. I might as well know who I'm going to live with."

He chuckled softly and felt a small smile spread across his face. "I hold you to that deal, Buffy."

She grimaced. Mark frowned in response. "Whats wrong?" he asked.

"I don't like that name..."

"Which name?"

"Buffy. I don't exactly like what it implies..."

"And what does that imply?" he asked slightly amused.

She scrunched up her face distastefully, "It makes people think that I'm like a flower that needs to be protected or something. Also, people laugh at me and it gets really old fast."

He let out another small chuckle. She sent him piercing glare. "Ok, fine. What do you want me to call you then?"

She thought for a moment then she replied, "Kenn, just Kenn."

May 23, 1982

Mark sat on the couch in the living room. This was the last day of school and he had gotten a curious letter in the mail. Turned out, Buffy's teacher had personally sent her grades to him.

In the letter, her teacher goes on to praise Buffy for being a hardworking and passionate student despite the tragic circumstances at the beginning of the year. She then credited Mark for being such a good role model for his little niece. At the end of the letter, she states that with her ambition, Buffy could go on to do great things if she set her mind to it.

He smiled at the letter. Buffy really wanted the training he was planning on giving her. At first, he was only planned on giving her basic training cadets received and nothing more. But, with this letter, he had no doubt that she would master that in weeks.

Also, maybe when she is older, he might begin teaching her about the forge. It was the only part of their little farm that she wasn't allowed to be in. Next summer would be a good time to start but it could be earlier, depending on her progress.

His musings were interrupted as Buffy came through the front door.

"Ahh…Uncle Mark? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you kept you end of the deal." Mark said.

"Oh, really?" Buffy visibly brightened. "Well then, about your end of the deal..."

Mark chuckled. "Yes, Yes. First of all, we will need to get you some training clothes. Then, we'll begin on learning the basics and building up your strength. After that, we'll begin the tougher stuff."

"What about when school starts? What are we going to do then?"

"We'll continue the exercises but before and after school, when all your homework is done."

She looked like she wanted to ask him something, but chose not to voice it aloud. He let it go. He knew, whatever she wanted to ask him, she would tell him when she's ready.

"So…when do we start?"

"We start right now. First off, we'll begin with the basic defensive stance..."

December 16, 1982

Half a year of training had changed the guilt-ridden young girl into something harder, more confident. She was like a piece of gold, dug from the earth in jagged, uneven bits, melted and molded into a beautiful unyielding sculpture.

She positively loved the at the chance to prove herself.

The physical demands were enormous. Even though she was tired, slightly bruised and covered in dirt and grass stains most days, she pressed on, bright smile plastered on to her mud splattered face. She was one of the most dedicated people he had ever had the pleasure to train. He was proud of her but…there was something that was bothering him.

"Can I ask you something?" Mark asked. Both of them were in the barn, just finishing their morning ride.

"Sure, Uncle Mark. Ask away." she responded, absentmindedly.

"Do you remember the last day of school?"

"Yeah. It was the first day that you began teaching me."

"I remember you were about tell me something, but decided against it. Not to pry but do you mind telling me what you were going to say?"

She stopped shoveling the hay in the stall as she registered his question. She seemed to consider her options. To tell him or not. A minute later, she asked, "Did you know that the Air Force accepts women into their Academies?"

Suddenly, everything became clear. "You want to join the Air Force." Mark stated.

"Yes."

"Why do you want to do that?"

She smiled faintly. "I want to prove that I am not a fragile flower that needs to be protected. Plus, the military runs in the family.."

Mark grinned, a grin so wide, it threatened to cut her weathered face in half. "Well, it seems I'm going to have to tweak my lesson plans then. Don't worry about the Academy. Your only 11. Seven years will be plenty of time to get you ready for what you will face. Also, the Air Force is gonna require a lot more intellectual knowledge then the other branches. Hmmm...maybe we should move the fighting and endurance training in the evening and do the informational part in the morning... "

"Uncle Mark?"

"Yea?" he inquired, the look of joy sparking in his eyes.

"Shouldn't we finish our chores? The horses need to be tended as well..." she trailed off slightly amused.

"Oh yeah."

Buffy let out out a soft laugh as the turned and continued shoveling.

Not long after, in addition to physical instruction, began informational studies as well. Mark was surprised at how much information Buffy could take in and memorize. She took everything in like a sponge.

He loved teaching her, passing on his knowledge off to a protégé. He loved the way she craved being taught new things. But with that love brought worry as well.

The though of her in actual combat scared him. Questions repeated in his mind. Question no one should have to ask.'Will she be wounded? What type of thing will she have to do? Will she be killed?'

He stopped. He shouldn't shook his, attempting to clear his nagging thoughts. It was Buffy he was thinking about. She could handle anything.

August 1, 1989  
Location: Colorado Springs, CO  
Time: 10pm

A lone figure entered an fairly empty hallway leading up to the most important man in the surrounding area.

The files he was carrying became heavier by the minute - becoming lead weights as the soles of his boots echoed in the deserted hallway. He stopped one corner away from his destination. He swallowed, trying to wet his dry throat only to find is mouth dry.

He took a deep breath, gathered up his courage and went around the corner. In front of him was a door labeled 'General Michael Kerrigan'.

He entered.

"Sir, here are the results for the recent batch of applicants. The officer in charge put the files," he said gesturing from top to bottom, "in order of best to worst."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. You may go." The lieutenant, who didn't need to be told twice, saluted and turned and left the General alone to review the files placed in front of him.

Kerrigan sighed. He never enjoyed looking through the files. The only thing it gave him were facts, impersonal.

Every year he had received them, he always put it off until he got home, where he was more comfortable. But, this year, something was bugging him. It was a strange feeling. It was extremely irritating. Wanting to distract himself from the uncomfortable sensation, he reached for the first file of the pile.

He started reading.

Name: Buffy Kenn Summers  
Gender: Female  
Age:17  
Parents: Hank Summers (Deceased), Joyce Summers (Deceased)  
Current Guardian: Ret. Col. Mark Kenneth Summers (Uncle)

SCHOOLING  
Graduation Position: Valedictorian  
GPA: 4.0  
AP Courses: Math, Science, Social Studies, English

MEDICAL  
Blood Type: O Negative  
Vision: 20/20  
Height: 5ft 3in

EXAMS  
Written Test: Passed  
Multiple Choice Test: Passed  
Endurance Test: Passed  
Strength Test: Passed  
Fitness Test: Passed  
Coordination Test: Passed  
1 Mile Run: 5min 37sec (R)  
Course Run: 4min 38sec (R)

Notes: Passed with great ease, shows great leadership potential. Recommended to partake in BCT.

Evaluator: Major Bert Stiles

Kerrigan was slightly shocked. He personally knew the Major and he didn't give out comments out like that unless he had seen something special in a person. He smiled.

He knew now it will be an interesting 4 years.

January 19, 1990  
Time: 3:49am

Buffy was breaking the rules and she knew it.

She didn't care.

Today was a special she turned 18.

18 was the magic number for teenagers in general. They all thought just because they were older, they knew better. They were wrong.

They were ignorant, unable to understand events that didn't directly effect them.

She sighed. She got along with all the other cadets just fine but not to the point of calling them friends. They were too blind. Their hardest experiences only ranged for broken hearts to broken bones.

They joked about shooting their first opponent. Going into their first battle and rising through the never once thought of the dangers they would face. The people they would lose. The guilt that would forever haunt them and the emotions that they would experience on the battlefield.

She snorted. Here she was, on her birthday, and thinking such depressing thoughts.

She had snuck out of her dorm room and slipped into her favorite courtyard at the western end of the campus. It was fairly isolated and, as an added bonus, it had a small pond. She sat at the bench closest to the the pond watching the moon shimmer in the water's rippling surface.

She sighed and tilted her head back. She watched as her hot breath made contact with the chilly air, making it visible.

Back home, this day was easier to deal with. This day was a double-edged sword. It was the day she was born but it also was the day her parents died.

"Cadet Summers?" General Kerrigan asked curiously, out of no where. He stood straight with his arms crossed behind his back.

'Damn' she thought. Buffy quickly scrambled to her feet and stood at attention. "Sir!"

"At ease. Now do you mind telling me what are you doing out here? It must be below freezing."

"Uh…well, it is my birthday and my parents and I always have, had a tradition of waiting for the sun the rise…I know it sounds stupid-" Buffy explained sheepishly.

The General stopped her there. He shook his head. "No, it isn't stupid. I know that losing your parents was hard on you. Its alright to hold on to traditions that make you feel closer to them."

"Um…Thank you, General."

"But there is a matter of you breaking school curfew."

Buffy took a deep breath. "What will be my punishment for breaking curfew?"

"This time, I'll only give you a warning. "

She brightened. "Thank you, Sir!"

"Next time, don't let anyone catch you." She smiled at him and he winked. "May I sit here with you?"

"Of course, General."

"So, how's Mark doing these days? I heard he became a blacksmith."

Her face brightened. "Yeah! He makes mostly knives and daggers for the hunters that come from all around. Their the highest quality anyone can get! He sent me a letter a week ago saying that a retired Royal Marine from England personally came to the ranch to commission him into forging a dagger of his own design. He said that he asked around for the best blacksmith and his name was recommended."

"Really? Huh. Maybe I should ask him to make a couple of knives for me."

"You definitely should, sir!"

They continued talking until the sun chased the moon away.

May 17, 1993  
5:05pm  
Graduation Day

They were officially 2nd Lieutenants in the Air Force. They were to be assigned to their respected duties in two weeks after a bit of rest. Well…that was the plan of most of the new Lieutenants.

General Kerrigan had different plans for a certain person.

"Sir, you wanted to speak with me?" asked Buffy.

"Yes. I have a proposition for you. As you know, most other graduates will go out to work on various projects the Air Force has in progress. For you, however, I believe that you would do better in something else."

She tilted her head. "What would that be, sir?"

"Its a special project. A lot like the black operations you've heard about. The basics of it is a team is highly trained and highly intelligent soldiers that can blend in and adapt to different environments. You'll have to learn many different languages and cultures in a relatively short amount of time but I believe you fit the bill."

She process the information that was given. She opened her mouth the reply but, Kerrigan cut her off.

"Understand this, if you accept, you're going to be out of contact for long periods of time. That means no phone calls and no letters."

"Sir, I know that Uncle Mark would understand why I would do this, but, before I accept, I want to know why me. Out of all the potential candidates, why did you chose me?"

Kerrigan stood up from his desk and turned to look out the window. "Kenn, I think you don't understand what kind of an effect you have on people. Many of your teachers praise you for inspiring your fellow classmates to follow your lead. They follow your orders without question because they trust you. You wouldn't ask others to do tasks you yourself wouldn't do. To sum it up, you are a natural leader. You are what most officers strive to be."

"Um…thank you Sir. I don't know what to say." she relied, uncomfortable with the unexpected praise.

He smiled at her. "Think about what I said."

"Sir," she stopped for a second, took a deep breath before continuing,"I don't need to. I accept the mission."

July 1, 1998  
Time: 3:19pm

Mission Rico Report

Location: Classified

Goal: Classified

Members Participating: Col. Jimmy Marks Sutlers, Lt. Col. Brian Cam West, Maj. Buffy Kenn Summers, Capt. Jessica Rosa Rodrigues, and Capt. John Lee Yang

Number of Casualties: 4

Circumstances surrounding the deaths: Classified

Surviving Personnel: Maj. Buffy Kenn Summers

Surviving Personnel Reassignment to Deep Space Telemetry

End of Report

A/N: I know there are many inconsistencies but all have being included in this story because either they were a necessary change or the correct information was not available to me at the time.

Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we truly are.

-Arthur Golden


	2. Chapter 2

2. Chapter Two

Declaimer on first chapter.

The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other.

-MARIO PUZO

Uncertainty hung over the group. Their faces indistinguishable under the dark sunglasses and pieces of cloth covering their mouthes and noses. Nearby, the sounds of gunfire and explosions echoed throughout the mountainous valley. The sun was descending, darkening the landscape.

They were pinned down. They had to get out. That knowledge was ingrained into their bodies. They had the leave but their rational mind told them that escape was all but impossible.

"We have to get the hell outta here!" a gruff masculine voice whispered. His voice was controlled and without a hint of panic even as a bullet stuck scant inches from his leg.

"How the hell do you think we do that?" another whispered back. This one was also controlled but not nearly as much as the first. All his words were punctuated with a slight tremor of primal fear.

"We'll just have to wait them out. Then, we just find the package and get out." a calm male whispered to the other two. This man was a mixture of the two. His voice was controlled but the man couldn't stop the shaking that took over his hands.

"Fine." the gruff man said with a hint of anger.

"We are stuck here, then. Just great." the second man whined. He skunked back on his back into a hole that he occupied with three others.

"Quit your whining Yang and get back into position." a woman snapped.

"Whatever, Rodrigues." he replied dismissively.

"The Major would have killed you that comment, you know that right?" observed Rodrigues.

"She isn't here now. She stayed behind on base cuz of her messed up vision." He said.

"Whatever, twerp."

Yang stuck his tougue at her which she retaliated by jabbing her elbow into his ribs.

"Shut up, you two." whispered the calm man.

"Ruin our fun, Junior Colonel W." Even the hardened Colonel's mouth quirked at Yang's comment.

Suddenly Rodrigues' good mood vanished. "Guys…I just heard something drop…" she said uneasily.

Everyone looked at her. Instantly everyone froze. They, all four of them, identified the object the second their eyes laid on it as it rolled into their little hole.

Then, there was a blinding flash coupled with a deafening roar.

July 13, 1998  
12:39pm

Report to General Hammond

Personnel Reassignment to: Cheyenne Mountain

Personnel Reassigned: Maj. Buffy Kenn Summers

Reason: Need to Know Only.

Gate Certification: Unneeded

Personnel 1st Meeting (Requested): August 2, 1998

Personnel arrival: August 6, 1998

Personnel Assignment: Join Flagship team

Highly Recommended from many to be unnamed Generals.

As ordered by General Marcus.

General Hammond was not happy. First, his car broke down on the way to the mountain. Then, a report from a General he had only ever heard of once was placed at his desk as he tried to enjoy a cold lunch since the microwave mysteriously stopped working.

It basically ordered him to put an unknown officer in his best field team. O'Neill wasn't exactly the kind of person that would allow just anyone to join his team, orders or not.

He could just feel a massive headache coming on.

"Walter? Do me a favor and round up SG-1. Also, I want you to make several copies of this file. I need to discuss something very important with them."

"Yes, Sir."

He sighed. He has a feeling this… wasn't going to end well. Either way it goes, in twenty minutes, he was going to find out.

"Hey, General! You called?" Jack's cheerful voice bounced into the briefing room. As he entered, he gave him a quick salute. Behind him, Captain Carter, Dr. Jackson, and Teal'c came in and sat down around the table. Already on the table was a folder containing information for each of the four members. The General, unlike his subordinates, still stood at the head of the table.

"Colonel, your team and I have some serious matters to attend to."

Sam frowned as she skimmed through the file and asked, "What is this, Sir? A service file?"

"That's what I need to talk to you about." General Hammond took a deep breath and continued, "SG-1 will gain a new member. A Major Buffy Kenn Summers."

"Um, Sir? Do you think it would be such a good idea to assign her to our team?" It was sort of bad to assign a newcomer to the Stargate program to the most unlucky of it teams, even a blind mind could see that.

"Carter. Really? That's the first question you ask?" He turned without giving her a chance to respond and faced the General, "Now, is Buffy her real name?"

The General ignored Jack's question and turned to answer the Captains'. "I've been given no choice in the matter."

"By who?" Sam seemed not to know the saying, curiosity killed the cat.

"General Marcus." Hammond said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"General Marcus? I've never heard of him."

"It's better if you don't know who he is, Captain. He's in charge of many high risk and highly classified projects." The General said gravely.

"Anyways, what about this Buffy girl? Why is she joining OUR team? Why can't she join one of the others SG teams?" Jack asked. Everyone turned and looked at him. At some point, Jack began doodling stick figures fighting each other on the file cover. Daniel and Sam both looked at him and rolled their eyes. Teal'c raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Hammond, on the other hand, stayed impassive. "The order was quite specific. She is to be put in SG-1."

"But she's a newbie at this! She has no idea what to expect off world! She could put my team in danger! C'mon, General!" Jake whined.

"I guess you're going to show her the ropes then, Colonel." With that said, General Hammond turned and left, leaving SG-1 to discuss the recent development.

"Well, what are you going to do, Jack?"

"Daniel, I'll wait and see if this girl can survive her first mission off world. Then, if she can't handle it, she's out."

August 1, 1998  
7:55pm

She hated Colorado Springs. The quiet neighborhood. The carefree atmosphere that surrounded most of the people. She didn't want to be here.

This was the first time since she graduated from the Academy, she had been stationed indefinately on American soil. It was like coming to a foreign land to her. During the last few years, she spent a total of 6 months per year in the U.S. It didn't feel like home anymore. No longer was a land home. Now it was the people she lived with that had made her feel at home.

Her previous superiors had tried to make the transition easier by giving her a home twenty minutes from the Mountain Complex. It was fairly secluded, the nearest neighbor five hundred yards away, and included a small barn not far away from the house.

When she learned of the barn, she had her childhood horse,Shadow named in honor of his deceased sire, brought from Texas. He was a 6 year old, bay colored, thoroughbred that her Uncle Mark bred with one of his other horses. Mark, taking the opportunity, delivered Shadow himself. They spent a week together, getting her house and barn sorted out, before he had to leave. She was glad to have him visit no matter how short it was.

She then began to attempt to socialize with her neighbors. The first two days, they were wary as they should be but soon warmed up. She made it to first name bases on many of the people that lived around her which was a great accomplishment in her opinion.

Finally, it was night before she was to meet her new team. She really wasn't looking forward to meeting them. A new team meant new attachments. She didn't think she could handle losing another team or team member. Losing her first team was hard enough.

She sighed deeply and rubbed her head in frustration. Just because she didn't want a new team, her personality won't allow her to simply idle by and let another person to fight in her place. After all, it was her destiny to fight the good fight. She could help and she knew it.

She sighed again. Tomorrow, she would meet her new team. She might as well look nice doing it.

0630

Sam had been in her office for five minutes when the General came strolling in and told her to gather SG-1 at 1100 in the briefing room. When he left the room, she proceeded to write it down on a piece of paper she had lying around.

An hour later, SG-4 came in a dropped of some artifacts for her to study. Soon, she was so engrossed in her work that she didn't noticed the time pass by.

August 2, 1998  
10:45am

Buffy arrived at the Mountain at precisely fifteen till, giving her time to find her way under what she assumed was an underground maze. She also assumed there would be a guide provided, but with her luck, she could never be sure.

She left her car and headed for the entrance. As she entered, the guards at the checkpoint handed her step by step instructions on how to get to the briefing room. No guide after all, but at least she had a mental map to go by.

Why it had to be 27 floors underground was beyond her.

Ten minutes later, she walked through the doorway and into the briefing room. She raised an eyebrow as she surveyed her surroundings. In the middle of the room was a table large enough to seat ten people comfortably. On the opposite end of where she was standing, was gigantic window where you could see a huge rock ring. She wondered why they would have a piece of rock just hanging around in the most secure base in America but filed it away for later.

Before she could think any more of it, the sound of footsteps reached her ears. She turned toward the sound of the opening door and saw a man that looked, to her anyways, strangely like Homer Simpsons.

"Major Summers?" he asked questionably. At her nod, he continued. "I'm General Hammond."

She stiffened and saluted the general. The General took the opportunity to study her. She had chosen to wear her formal uniform to their little meeting. The uniform consisted of pants, in the place of the usual skirt for woman, and a surprising amount of ribbon bars on the jacket. She also had the formal cap in her hands.

"At ease, Major. Take a seat."

"General Hammond, it's an honor to meet you." Buffy said sincerely.

"Likewise Major. Now, we'll wait for your new team mates to arrive so we can continue. Is that alright with you?"

'No,' she thought. She didn't want to meet them at all but instead of voicing her feelings, she simply said, "Yes, sir."

They both sat in silence and waited.

1120

"Sir? It is normal for them to be this late?" Buffy wasn't one to be so impatient but, with the emotional roller coaster she was going through, she was at wits' end.

"No." He looked to the side, through the doorway, a called out to a passing airmen.

"Airmen, go and find SG-1 and bring 'em here." The airmen nodded and went out of view.

After he left and the General faced her directions once more, she asked, "Are you from Texas, sir?"

"Yes. I'm from Austin."

"Cool. You know, I've lived in Texas for 7 years." Buffy said pridefully.

"Really? Where did you live?"

"On the outskirts of Casper."

"Farm country, eh?"

"Yes, sir."

That was the start of a 'Get to Know a Stranger' conversion.

1135

"I couldn't help but notice your uniform is a bit different then what they're supposed to look like." General Hammond commented.

"Oh, well I asked my superior at the time to allow me to switch the skirt to pants. It made me feel better."

"Why did it make you feel better?" Hammond asked curiously

"Because I can run in it and, as an added bonus, stash knives easier."

"Do you have any knives on you now?"

"…"

"Major?"

"I prefer not to answer that."

1155

"Where's that airmen you sent to get your flag team?"

"I don't know…"

"I hope he's ok…"

Silence…

"Wanna play Tic-Tac-Toe?"

Hammond sighed. "Might as well."

Flashback - 15 mins. ago

The airmen who Hammond sent to get SG-1 ran through the halls. He was so focused on that single task, he didn't noticed a banana peel right outside the mess hall. He slipped on it, hit his head on the floor and passed out.

His messege never got through in time.

1210

Teal'c had heard of many odd customs the Tau'ri participated in but this by far the strangest. Why would they destroy perfectly good vehicles was beyond him. Granted, they were huge and would crush any smaller vehicle on the street but still.

He watched a yet another vehicle get destroyed. Oddly enough, the destruction was starting to exhilarate him. Soon, he was enchanted, watching many other vehicles damaged and destroyed.

He grinned a madly grin.

1235

Daniel was in paradise. That morning, a book from Ancient Egypt that dated back to 1st century, arrived in his office. He had been waiting for months for it to arrive.

The information within its binding was invaluable to him. Oh…and the program.

1250

Jack was having a wonderful day. In the morning, in his driveway, he found ten bucks which was nice. As he drove to work, there was no traffic. When he got to the mountain and just so happened to go through the mess hall, one of the airmen assigned there had accidentally made Jell-O instead of soup. How? No one knew and no one complained. Jack somehow managed to sneak a large plateful away from the mess hall and into his office. He pushed away the stacks of paperwork on his desk and began enjoying the Jell-O-y goodness.

He didn't notice the hours pass as he, after eating the Jell-O, decided to take a little nap. He was then, in his opinion anyway, rudely wakened by Sam.

"Ugh! Carter! What do you want?" Jack asked. He rubbed his eyes to clear the drowsiness his 'little nap' caused.

"Sir! We were supposed to meet the General at the briefing room at 1100! Its already 1250!" That instantly cleared any lingering sleepiness right up.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Both Sam and Jack ran through the door and into the hallway, in perfect sync with each other.

"We have to get Daniel and Teal'c! They haven't been told." Jack cursed at that piece of information.

"Who was in charge of giving out the information?!"

Sam reddened. "It was my job, sir. General Hammond came into my office at 630 this morning and told me to notify you and the others about the meeting. After he left, I got distracted by some artifacts SG-4 brought from PX4-481. Sorry, sir."

"Don't worry about it now, Carter. Let's just go find Daniel and Teal'c."

"Yes, sir."

15 minutes earlier…

"General. Where exactly is this team that I'm supposed to join? Was the meeting not scheduled to start at 1100?"

General Hammond took a calming breath. He could understand the frustration coming from the Major. "I have no idea where SG-1 is, Major and yes, the meeting was supposed to start at 1100."

The Major didn't reply. Instead, she stood from the seat she had taken and walked over to the window overlooking the gate room.

Abruptly, the Major turned and headed toward the door and stopped at the doorway. Without turning, she said, "General. I'm afraid I have to leave now. I didn't expect to stay here for so long. I have a prior engagement I have to attend."

"Can't you reschedule it?"

She turned her head slightly, allowing the General to see a small, sad smile break across her face. She didn't say anything for a few seconds. Then, she quietly answered. "I can't reschedule, sir. I have to catch a flight today destined for Arlington."

General Hammond didn't know how to respond to that. There was only one reason she would to head to Arlington. Instead, he simply nodded and allowed the Major to leave.

20 minutes later…

SG-1 barreled through the hallway leading up to the briefing room. Behind them, they left a trail of trampled airmen, knocked over papers and general confusion as most didn't see the blur that hit/passed them in the hallway. Sam was the first of the team to burst into the room. She saw General Hammond sitting on the table. His face was clear of any emotion.

"General! I'm so sorry! I got distracted with a couple artifacts SG-4 brought back from their mission on PX4-481. Then, when I realized the time, it was already 1250 and I had to run all over the base to gather up the Colonel, Daniel and Teal'c and…"

"That's enough, Captain. We all make mistakes once and awhile. Admittedly, this wasn't the best time make one."

"Uhh…General? Where's Summers? Wasn't she supposed to be here?"

"She had to leave." He left it at that. Even though he didn't know her that well, he wasn't just going to blurt out that she's gone to a funeral.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Really… are you sure she didn't just scamper off?"

"Yes, I'm sure Colonel. She had to be at a very important place today."

"Where exactly?"

"That's for me to know, Colonel. Well, since the Major isn't here, you all are dismissed. There no longer is a reason to be here." He was beyond tired and just wanted to be left alone.

2:00pm

She planned on taking a flight from Colorado Springs to Washington D.C. then taking a car to her hotel and then go to Arlington National Cemetery to her comrades' funeral.

She learned long ago that plans don't always go as planned.

The meeting in the Mountain the never happened, took a lot longer then she had anticipated. After she left, she raced to the airport just barely going the speed limit. Once in the airport, she easily passed through Security. Then, she would had missed her flight if she hadn't ran from the last Security checkpoint to the gate.

While on the airplane, she had received many curious looked mostly from teenagers and adults. Thankfully, none bothered her on the three hour flight.

She took a cab to her hotel room and rested up a bit.

The next morning a Lieutenant was already waiting with a military car outside. Before she entered the car, she looked up. The weather was ominous. Dark clouds dominated the sky. In her experience, with clouds like those, there was no doubt it was going to rain. She shook her head clear and entered the car.

After twenty minutes on the road, they arrived at the cemetery. Then, it was time for the funeral to begin.

"As for the last request of these Air Force Officers, they are to be buried together. Like how they all lived, served and died together. Forever, they would remain, side by side."

She didn't hear anymore. The crush of emotion overwhelmed her. She felt tears prickle in her eyes but she quickly wiped them away.

She felt a tug on her leg. She looked down and saw Rodrigues' ten year old brother, Jorge. With his sister gone, he was now the oldest with two younger siblings. He looked at her with pain in his eyes. She understood what he wanted. She knelt on one knee and hugged him. She gave him a sad smile and simply said, "Jorge.."

He sniffled. She put a hand on his shoulder and proceded to hug him tightly.

With that, he began crying. She held him as his parents glanced at her, a child on each of their arms, and they began to weep. They were lucky. At last understood what was happening.

Other children, West's and Yang's, asked the adults around them why their daddies were being buried. They were too young to understand and, hopefully, too young to remember this sad, mournful event.

As the service ended, the skies opened up and released a drizzle of rain. It was as if the skies themselves wept for the dead.

A/N: I want to thank all service members who have risk life and limb to preserve our freedom. You men and women are my heroes. :]

For love of country they accepted death...  
-James A. Garfield


	3. Chapter 3

3. Chapter 3

Declaimer on first chapter.

There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.

-Malcolm X

August 4, 1998  
1030am

Buffy was having a relatively wonderful day. She was wake by six am and ate a great breakfast courtesy of the local diner. An hour later, after she finished her meal, she, dressed in a white sleeveless shirt and a pair of old jeans and a pair of black well used riding boots, did the usual chores around the barn and stables.

Next, after finishing those chores, she moved on to Shadow himself who had been grazing in the pasture. She brushed his coat, clearing it of dirt, then checked his hooves for possible debris that might of lodged into the bottom. When she was confident there was nothing in them that caused her to worry, she then proceeded to put on Shadow's horse boots.

Then, she put on a halter securely around his head and clipped in the lead rope. Leading him toward a fence, Buffy then tied Shadow to a post next to the equipment shed.

After making sure the rope was tied correctly, she went over the the shed and grabbed the red saddle pad along with the saddle. Buffy then went toward the same fence she'd tied Shadow to and swung the saddle and saddle pad over the railing. Making one last trip to the shed, she grabbed the leather bridle and closed the shed up with a heavy duty padlock.

She grabbed the western saddle, placing all the loose equipment on top of the seat, and saddle pad and swung it over Shadow's back. She walked around Shadow making sure the front and back cinch, the stirrups and the breast collar didn't wind up underneath him. She lowered all of them from the seat and then continued to tie the front and back cinch together. She moved on to buckle the breast collar to the either side of the saddle then ran the strap through his front legs and snapped it to the front cinch. She finished by checking that everything had been placed properly and everything was in order.

Buffy walked to get the bridle, already setup so she would only have to slide it right on top of the halter. Gently sliding in the bit into Shadow's mouth, she then slid in the noseband, brow band and crown piece into place. With that done, Buffy unclipped the lead rope, coiled it and hung it on the horn of the saddle.

Prep work done, she climbed into the saddle and rode off into a quiet pasture.

This peace comforted her, enveloped her like a soft blanket. The soothing and meaningful songs the birds played, the soft breeze of the wind caressing her very form. She smiled from her atop her horse as her eyes raked over the lush green grass below the clear blue sky above.

The greenest of the green and the bluest of the blue. Simply perfect.

She longed to draw such a picture, a beauty only nature can create but alas, all her tools were hidden away with all her other important things. A real shame. It could have been an excellent drawing indeed even if nobody would ever see it.

She closed her eyes. A soft breeze passed over. The cool air brought the scents of nature. The astonishing smell of the falling leaves and fresh mountainous spring waters which was so prevalent around her rural home.

The sun was shining so brighty over the landscape. Its bold light reached into every nook and cranny it could find.

This is what she enjoyed doing. Riding the horse she had practically raised from the time he was born, allowing her a chance to lose herself in the most pleasant memory she had with her team.

She could never forget. She remembered the experience like it was yesterday.

They were all riding across the Montana grasslands. The sun, just poking out of the horizon. Dew still clung to the grass. They were all laughing as each one tried to get ahead of one another. Rank didn't matter there. In that small period of time, they were simply friends. It was paradise. Blissful peace, a break for such a violent job.

She wondered idly how everything could have turned out so wrong. How such a wonderful and treasured memory be followed by a horrifying and painful event. She shook her head.

'I shouldn't think of such things when attention is needed else where.' she said, looking down at Shadow. His ears flickered as if sensing her change in thought. She gave him a loving pat over his muscular neck and she could practically feel his apprehension - which he'd suffered from constantly after a particularly torturous experience with a horrid stablehand who in turn left, never to return, in an ambulance - fade away.

She sighed. She looked at her silver pocket watch she always carried and saw it was already half past eleven.

She decided it was time to head back to the house. Turning Shadow homeward, she though of what she would do today. Since she had done all the chores she needed to do, she decided just to relax and watch TV.

Just as she reached the fence, a loud noise reached her ears. She was so preoccupied with finding the sorce of the mysterious sound, she didn't notice Shadow freeze under her, something she should've never done. She had enough time to turn her head towards the barn area and caught a glimpse of four figures walking toward her, before her head collided with something hard then everything went black.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.  
-Edgar Allan Poe


	4. Chapter 4

4. Chapter 4

Declaimer on first chapter

A/N: People have been asking about who Buffy would receive her slayer powers… well, here it is. Also, as a warning, there is mild language used.

The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.  
-Jean Paul

April 5, 1987

She was 15. Over half her life, she spent learning, absorbing information. Being raised on a farm also taught her many practical lessons.

Today was like any other day. Her uncle Mark was in the house, sleeping after a late night helping a mare birth a foal. The crops were being tended by the Archers and the Reveras.

She, as usual, was tending to the horses in the pastures. She liked the job. It was a nice break from all the mind numbing work her uncle usually gave her and school work.

She saddled up Lincoln, a young tan male arabian horse, and rode into the inner fields to give him a small workout. She expertly maneuvered through to rough terrain which included a variety of sharp hills and large boulders left over from an old quarry mill.

Then, after she managed to reach a small river that crossed over their property, she hopped off the saddle and a gently lead her horse toward the water. The horse lowered its head and drank noisily. She bent down, ran her fingers through Lincoln's mane and whispered softly into his ear.

She never hear the large black dog sneak up behind her. Never noticed as it slowly inched closer. Never noticed as it crouched close to the ground. Never noticed as it leaped toward her.

She certainly never noticed what the hell pushed her into the river.

The question that she would later ask was how? How can a dog sneak on a girl with her senses, her training?

Just…how?

* * *

Slowly, she regained her senses. She groaned and heaved her upper body into the sitting position. She rubbed her aching head in a feeble attempt to hopefully dispel the pain. Unsurprisingly, she was unsuccessful.

"Child." a fatherly voice said.

Buffy's head jerked and, instantly alert, catalogued her surrounding. Turned out, there wasn't much to catalogue. There was a single light illuminated everything within a 5 foot radius around her with her squarely in the middle. The floor was barren and pearly white. Beyond visible surface was pitch black.

Great.

"Who are you?" She asked not so kindly.

"That is not important. What matters most is you."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why am I the most important, oh disembodied voice?"

"You are Chosen."

"I'm chosen for what, exactly?"

"Destiny."

"Ok, look old man, I couldn't care less for all this 'destiny' crap. Tell me what the hell in going on!" Buffy said angrily.

"It was fated to be, so it shall be done." the Voice said contentedly.

Buffy, already pissed off, was going to tell the 'wonderfully helpful voice' to explain what he meant when something unexpected happened.

Her body stiffened and she fell to her knees. She gasped as a sudden pressure made it exponentially hard to breathe. Her eyes bulged out as her hands grabbed tightly over the t-shirt over her chest. She bend over forward, attempting to somehow fill her aching lungs with air.

After a few minutes, the pressure began to fade and, once again, she was able to breathe normally.

"Wha- what did you do to me?!"

"It was fated to be, so it shall be done." the voice repeated.

"Enough of all your damn riddles! Tell me what you did!"

"I have given you a gift. The strength of an ox, sense of smell of a bloodhound, speed of a cheetah, memory of a elephant, eyes of an eagle, the grace of a prowling lion. The best traits your world has to offer. "

"Okaay. Is this some kind of joke?"

"No." the Voice said.

"Well then, I want to return your freaky 'best traits of the animal kingdom' gift."

"It was fated to be, so it shall be done." the voice said again, stressing each word like he was talking to a child.

"Enough of that! It got annoying the first time you said that, oh irritating one."

"I merely tell the truth." he said evenly.

"Well, take it back! I don't want it!"

"There is no possible avenue you could take to rid yourself of my gift."

"What? Come on!" she whined.

"The power that I have placed onto you has merged with your 'self'. The incorporeal essence that makes you human. Also, even if you pass away, the gift shall remain with you."

She opened her mouth then thought better of it and closed it. She breathed deeply before proceeding to speak again. "Okay, I give up. Will you at least tell me your name? I mean, you messed with my 'essence'. I deserve that at least."

Her eyes widened as watched a smoking white shadow slowly appeared from the darkness. It stood over 6 feet from the floor. The shadow solidified, revealing a figure of a young man, no more than 18 years old. Pasty white skin stood fast against his coal black hair and dark brown eyes. He looked at her with a curious gaze, then bent down to her eye level. "I have no name."

"Really? Why not?" Buffy asked a little surprised.

"I have existed for a long time. My memory, as great as it may be, has long ago robbed me of my name."

"Well, if you don't have one, pick another." she suggested.

"Pick another? I do not know of any name that would suit me." he replied unsure.

"Ok…Well, why not Dakota? Its' literal meaning is allies and, since you are the man with all the answers and I'm the one with the super abilities, why not be allies?"

"Dakota… I find that name pleasing." the newly christened Dakota said, a small smile spreading across his face.

"I thought you might. Now, you mind answering a couple more questions from me?"

"Of course."

"Well first of all, how am I going to explain everything to my uncle?"

"You may not speak of my gift to anyone. It will simply complicate things." he said sternly.

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me to lie to everyone when I do something freaky? "

"I will instruct you on how to control and conceal your gift. I will also act as you guide from now on. "

"Ok then, with that out of the way, how about you tell me where the hell I am."

"This is a void. The space between atoms. This place, the ground on which we sit upon, is beyond your grasp. Too complicated for you present mind to comprehend."

She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Are you trying to say one day I will?"

Dakota smiled faintly. "Yes. With my guidance of course."

She snorted then smiled in return.

April 5, 1987  
10:46pm

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The steady sound of a heart monitor echoed in her ears. Her head throbbed, pounding like a drum. She couldn't think straight.

Damn pain.

She groaned as she opened her eyes and her vision flooded with light. She quickly decided to close them. She could feel a figure shift beside her. She recognized it.

It was Uncle Mark.

"Hey, kiddo. How you feelin'?" he said softly with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Besides the headache, just great." she replied sarcastically. She opened her eyes for a second time and this time got a good look around. She was in the hospital.

She looked at her uncle questionably.

"That's good." after a small pause, he continued, "Ken, do you know what happened?"

Reluctantly, she shook her head.

He leaned in and touched their foreheads and closed their eyes. "Ken, Lincoln came racing like mad into the barn. The old boy nearly killed himself with all the violent jumps he did. He, after he got my attention, raced back out of the barn and on that dangerous trail I told you to be careful on. Luckily, Mollie was already saddled so I simply hopped on and followed him."

He paused. He reached over and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it tightly. "I saw you face down in the water. I pulled you out and you weren't breathing. You weren't breathing."

She felt her Uncle shutter violently. He continued.

"I-I thought I lost you. I was so scared. I-I did CPR. It took a couple tries but then finally you started breathing on your own… but you were still so pale. You were so cold, as cold as the water I found you in. I raced you to the hospital and here we are." He said the last sentence with a small smile.

Buffy was quiet. After a few minutes she raised her head and addressed her uncle. "Can we go home? I don't wanna stay here."

Mark let out a roaring laugh. "Ah…your dislike of hospitals hasn't gone away, eh? Well, I'm sorry Kenn, your gonna have ta stay a while longer." His smile dimmed slightly. "I need to make sure you're ok. So, will you bear it until the docs clear you to leave? Please? For me?"

Buffy smiled slightly and nodded.

"Get some sleep, kiddo. I stay right here to shield you from the 'evil doctors'."

"We don't actually fear death, we fear that no one will notice our absence, that we will disappear without a trace."

― T.S. Eliot

A/N: I hope y'all enjoy it. BTW, is anyone else glad the election is over with? I sure am. Finally, I'll explain the history of this slayer line later in the story.


	5. Chapter 5

5. Chapter 5

Anger

Declaimer on first chapter

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.

-Mark Twain

August 5, 1998

1115

Sam was having a wonderful morning. She was going to use her day off to sleep in, something that she rarely had a chance to do with her hectic schedule and all.

Then, consistent loud banging against her poor front door woke her from her peaceful sleep. Sam groaned and folded her arm over her face. Her eyes closed, she considered just ignoring the annoying sound but figured the person on the other side wouldn't simply leave. The loudening noise reinforced that.

She groaned again and swung her legs off the bed and clumly stumbled toward her front door. She stared beady-eyed at Jack, her commanding officer, standing and grinning cheerfully at her.

Ugh. Is one day of a good nights' sleep too much to ask for?

"Sir? What are you doing at my house on a Sunday?" Sam asked.

"I would like to know too, Jack." said a familiar voice. Sam looked over Jack's shoulder and spotted both Daniel and Teal'c standing a little ways off.

"I as well would like to know the reason." Teal'c said in his regular mellow toned voice.

"Fine, Carter, can we come in and talk?"

"Um, sure?"

Once the whole team was seated in Sam's living room, Jack pulled out a large file folder with paper sticking out. He set it down on the table with a loud thud. He clapped his hands, making a drowsy Sam and Daniel jump.

"Ok! Let's start with what we know about the new fish!"

"She's human." Daniel said, emphasized the word human.

"She's a Major." Said Sam.

"MajorBuffyKennSummers is 26 years old."

"That extraordinary and odd. That's an extremely young age to achieve that rank… Don't you agree, Sam?"

"Yeah, you'd need at least 9 years in the service. Not including the time in the academy, she has only 5."

"Ok, little boys and girls. Storytime! Gather around everyone!" Once Jack had gotten everyone's attention, he continued. "Ok, now. There's been a rumor going around in the Special Force's clubroom the last couple of years. There was a group of highly trained operatives. Even more skilled then the average SF. They could go into an area, kill a target, retrieve information, or whatever needed to be done. In short, they were the highest skilled, strongest, and fastest combat team in the entire U.S military from any branch that went by the name 'The Pack' only formed a couple years ago. There were 5 members including, guess what? A newly minted 2nd lieutenant from the Zoo. No one knew much at the new one cept' that it was a girl and went by the name 'Kenn' so, as word of her exploits reached our little ears, such as saving high level officials, saving entire towns and sniping the heads off the kill list that doesn't exist on forced solo missions that also don't exist, we came up with a nickname for her. Kenn the Black Wolf. Clever huh? Anyways, a month ago, we heard something we hoped never to hear. The entire unit was wiped out on a mission in the jungles. Only one survivor, Kenn the Black Wolf."

"Wow." uttered Sam, shocked.

"Yup, well, since we didn't get to interro-, uh, I mean talk to Kenn on Thursday; I figured we go pay her a visit at her house. You know, get to know her personally and whatnot."

"Do you even have her address Jack?"

"Of course I do, Danny!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly did you get that information?"

Jack smiled wickedly, "I have my ways. So! Shall we go?"

Sam sighed. One he got an idea stuck in his head, it was impossible to change it. Might as well go peacefully.

30 minutes later, the four of them stood in front of a simple and ordinary house…with a barn.

"Huh…didn't expect this." Jack commented, as he tilted his head.

"Well…this is the rural part of town. What did you expect? Luxury condos?" Daniel asked sarcastically. He didn't particularly care for being woken up at 6am on his day off and, as an added insult, denied his morning coffee.

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Danny."

"Um, sir? Aren't we here to meet our new member? Shouldn't we…you know…find her?"

"Always the logical one, Carter."

"O'Neill, I believe I have spotted Major Buffy Summers."

"Oh, really? Where?"

"On a large four legged animal."

Sam, Daniel and Jack turned to see what Teal'c was referring to. Turned out to be exactly what two of the three pictured. Their new teammate was actually on a horse. An extremely large and strong-looking horse.

Jack grinned as he confidently strolled toward the Major. The rest of the groups soon followed. Just as they reached halfway to the Major, something happened.

The Major turned her head and locked eyes with the Colonel. They both froze as if someone pressed the pause button on a video.

Then, everything exploded. The black horse reared. The Major instinctively leaned forward on the saddle and wrapped her hands around the reins and tucked them toward her chest. Unfortunately, the horse's head also jerked back at the same time. Their heads met with a sickening crunch audible to even Sam, who was quite a ways from the pair.

She looked stunned for a minute. Then, her eyes rolled back and fell sideways almost falling off. The horse, who still remained somewhat frightened, stiffly and slowly walked backward, the whites of it's' eyes still predominate and its' breathing labored.

The group stood still. Jack was the first to react, slowly making him way toward the jumpy horse. His steps were soft. His arms out in front of him as he murmured soft words towards the horse. As he got closer, he managed to grab ahold of the saddle. He motioned Sam, Daniel and Teal'c to come forward. The group, making sure not to make any sudden movements, made their way to their new superior. Sam was the first to arrive. She gingerly lifted the woman from her slumped position and, with the help of Daniel and Teal'c, managed to release the Major from the stirrups and gently lay her on the ground several yards away.

"Carter, go call Janet. The girl's bleeding." Jack whispered.

Sam nodded and made her way toward the car. After a few minutes of explaining the situation to the Chief Medical Officer, Sam returned to the group.

"Colonel, Janet's going to be here in 15 minutes give or take."

"Ok then. Meanwhile, what do we do about her?"

"Janet said not to move her more than necessary."

"Teal'c, ya mind putting the horse away?" Jack asked as he passed the rope to Teal'c.

"I am not aware of the procedures involved in 'putting a horse away'"

"Right," Jack said. He turned Daniel and gestured with toward Teal'c. "Daniel, go help T."

Daniel opened her mouth to protest but decided against it. He turned shaking his head and walked toward Teal'c.

Jack then turned to Sam and asked, "What should we do with the girl? I don't think leaving her on the ground bleeding would please the Doc."

"Well…we could always take her inside that house." suggested Sam.

"That won't be necessary." a voice said behind the pair.

Jack and Sam looked at each other before they turned around.

The Major glared at them. "Now, tell me, who the hell are you and why am I bleeding?"

"Uh…well…we're your new team. This is Captain Samantha Carter and I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill, two L's. The bleeding…well… it wasn't our fault. It's was your horse-"

"Wait, wait, wait. What happened to my horse? Where is he?"

"Teal'c and Daniel took him inside the barn," Sam said.

"What?!" Buffy yelled. She turned toward the barn, ignoring the blood that raced down her face. She ran to the barn, barely remembering to keep her speed in check, mindful of the the pair following her. She reached the barn and yanked the door open.

Her eyes scanned the interior of the barn. She spotted a nerdy guy and gigantic well-built guy manhandling her horse.

Oh, to say that she was pissed would be an understatement.

"Get your hands off my horse!" She yelled, her eye glistening with fury and a twinge of worry.

"Ok, ok." said Daniel as he backed away with his hand held out in front of him.

"Now, back away slowly, no sudden movements, both of you." she commanded softly.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"My horse is gets extremely agitated when people who he doesn't know handle him. The shock of what just happened must have delayed the response but I can't be certain when it will break loose."

"Oh my."

"Yes, 'Oh my'! You're lucky he didn't gut you."

Daniel blenched.

Teal'c, face impassive as usual, moved toward her and the barn, making sure she and the horse were in full view. Daniel soon followed, albeit rather clumsily.

"Close the door on your way out." she whispered over her shoulder.

Then the red door shut, enclosing her along with her freaked out horse.

Daniel and Teal'c turned and looked at each other.

"I was almost killed. On a farm, by a horse, gutted!"

"DanielJackson, I would not have allowed such a thing happen. As a boy, I have taken down much larger animals barehanded."

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better."

Teal'c, opening his mouth to reply, was interrupted by incoming panting.

"Te…Tea…ugh…Man, I need to work out more. Damn…That girl in fast…"

"I've never seen anyone move that fast…" Sam exclaimed wide-eyed.

A second after the still air-deprived Sam said those words, the person in question appeared.

Wrinkled clothing, blood still sliding down the side of her face, emerald eyes blazing.

"I believe your visit is over."

"Um, we apologize for-"

"For this small cut? Please, this is nothing. What I don't particularly care for was you messing with my horse."

"Eh, well-."

"Well nothing. I want all of your off my property." When none of then moved, she narrowed her eyes and said, "Now."

With that the group left.

She rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on. She went into her house and made herself hot chocolate. Just as she had gotten comfortable, the doorbell rang, its shrill digging ring echoing inside her skull.

She tipped her head back on the couch and let out a groan. After a few more rings, she pulled herself off the couch and made her way toward the front door and opened it.

"Yea?"

"Major Summers, what the hell did you do to yourself? You haven't even officially meet SG-1 yet and you're still injured!" Janet Frazier yelled as she barged into her home. The Chief Medical Officer lugged her kit onto the kitchen table with an impressive crack.

"I didn't do anything! If they hadn't distracted me when I was on Shadow, I woulda felt him jerk up! " Kenn said defensively.

"Stop blaming them for your carelessness. Now, let me take care of your injuries."

"No way! I'm fine."

"The hell you are. Now sit down on the damn couch while I get my supplies."

"Fine." Buffy said, pouting.

"Now, Kenn, how are your eyes?"

"They're ok. Hadn't had any blind spots."

"And that scratch on your forehead?"

"All right."

"Yes. The dried blood all over you just screams all right."

"Oh." In all the commotion, she'd forgotten about that. Now, her shirt was covered by little droplets of the deep red substance. Great. That went her favorite shirt. She sighed and turned her attention back to Janet just in time to see the despised penlight exit out of the medical kit. "Oh come on!" She exclaimed. "Is that thing really necessary?"

"Yes. I have to check your eyes. Now look at me." With that, she shown the intense and completely unnecessary penlight into her eyes.

"Ugh."

"Get over it. Well, it seems the pupils seem to be just fine. The only thing left to do is to take care of that scratch." After that was taken care of, Janet sat down on the well-used couch and looked curiously at Buffy. "Tell me why you're really mad."

Buffy leaned back and draped her arm over her face. Janet watched as a single tear made its way down her cheek. She watched as the single tear became many.

"The- they seem so much like them. Even this first meeting, it was just like when I met the crew back when I was just a 2nd Lieutenant."

"Oh, Kenn." Janet said. She made her way toward the sobbing Major and pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back as the 26 year old sobbed into her shirt.

Janet stayed for the remainder of the day.

August 6, 1998

0854

It was the same procedure she had done the first time she arrived at the Mountain.

Nevertheless something was different. Well, the procedure was the same. It was her that was different.

Now, she wore lovely white gauze around her head.

Great. Just great.

She walked toward the 'Stargate' as she was informed the giant rock ring was called. Apparently, the Stargate was a worm hole that transported someone to another planet. The 'traveler' would be broken down into subatomic particles as they entered and be reassembled as the pass through the receiving Gate.

She spent over 3 hours trying to make sense of the packet handed to her by that bastard O'Neill. He acted like Colonel Sutlers.

All play, no work, horrid handwriting, confusing word choices, earned cocky attitude, lob all the accursed paperwork at the rank underneath and leaving the most important information at the bottom of a pile of papers.

Like a memo that changes the days' meeting from 1200 to 0900.

She sighed. How she was going to make it through another day with the team the reminded her so much of the 'Pack' as they were known, she didn't know.

She sighed again as the doors the meeting room came into her sights.

Bracing herself, she opened the door and stepped inside.

A/N: It seems my largely unimaginative brain takes about a month to churn out the 2k-word chapters. Well, better that then nothing, eh? Guess that is what happens when you make a story without a clear plot.

How does Janet know Buffy? This question will be answered in the next chapter…hopefully.

Reviews welcome.

Memory is what makes us young or old.

-Louis Charles Alfred De Musset


	6. Chapter 6

6. Chapter Six

Memory

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men [and women] stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

― George Orwell

"Ok! Line up!", yelled the ever so jolly Colonel Sutlers.

Buffy found herself in a hanger somewhere near New York surrounded by jets, cargos, transports, fighter planes and rows and stacks of wooden crates spewed all across the floor. This is where General Kerrigan needed her. On the Eastern Seaboard with 3 other very different guys. A Full Bird, half Bird and a Major Medic. Buffy sighed and sat a crate along with the Medic while the Birdies stood in front, acting a tad too arrogant for her liking.

Buffy gazed at the man. He was a 6' 9" tall, well built man with an unusually black hair cut at the ear. Piercing azure eyes, hard squared jaw combined with a jagged white scar against his tanned skin going in between his hairline and lower jaw which gave him an intimidating aura. Considering the man was pushing the half a century mark, it was pretty impressive. The man had barely said more than ten words and already she could hear the arrogant undertone in his voice.

Next to him, the Lt. Colonel Brian West. The man was 6' 1", much smaller than the Colonel. He had brown-blond hair and green eyes, light skin and vertically the textbook example of an Iowa Boy. He gave off the ' I'm completely harmless with a pearly white toothy smile to prove it ' vibe. In other words, completely dangerous.

Lastly, the guy next to her, the Major Medic. The name he introduced himself was Aaron Adar. Based on his name and physical distinct features, he has roots in the Middle East. He hadn't said a word beyond expected pleasantries. His gaze was focused at the Birdies and he sat stiffly, as if he didn't know whether or not it was safe enough to to relax or not.

"Welcome to the 'Pack' ." Colonel Sutlers started up suddenly. "This will be the your new team! I expect everyone to get along, not get each other killed and protect each other. Do you understand?"

A chorus of "Yes, sir" rang out.

"Today, we're headin' out. Once we get on our transport, then I inform you lot on the details. Got it?"

"Yes sir" they said again.

"Also, we men also need to protect the little lady over there." Colonel West said, mentioning in Buffy's direction.

Buffy's face instantly contorted in anger. She opened her mouth to protest but was cut off by the Lt. Colonel.

"Ok then! Let's head out!"

Buffy bit her tongue. She felt the urge to walk over there and knock him upside the head. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned head to the left and saw it was Major Adar. He gave her an encouraging but faint smile. His dark brown eyes seemed to convey a knowing glint, as if he knew what she was feeling. He released her shoulder and headed out.

"Tsk." Buffy had a feeling she's going to have to show Colonel 'Men are superior to Women' he was wrong.

The 'Pack', as they were affectionately codenamed, made themselves comfortable on the various transport containers securely fastened to the walls of the decently sized cargo plane.

Major Adar and Buffy naturally sat themselves near each other on a long rectangular crate that spanned the entire length of the right portion of the plane and had the added convenience of being lower than the rest of the crates.

Colonels Sutlers and West sat directly in front of them on the only two actual chairs on the plane.

Colonel Sutlers began the mission briefing.

"Ok boys and girls! We're goin' to the Russian Steppes. Of course the Russians know we're comin' so there won't be any political misunderstanding. How the hell that happened is beyond me. Anyways, the objective today will is the camp of a known terrorist cell. Reports say that the group and its leader, Kazimir Hedeon, a radical anti- well, everybody else beside their little gang of friends and likes the taste of people. His following is thought to be in the twenty to twenty-five range armed with sub machine guns, rifles, automatics, grenades, virtually any thing that could be bought of the Black market. Luckily for us, the guy is a incompetent leader with no military experience and large amount of negative emotions clouding his judgement and his crew is no better."

"Yippee. A cannibalistic, homicidal maniac in a leadership position with a group of other cannibals. Just great." Buffy commented sarcastically.

"Scared, Summers?" West said provocatively.

"Ha. Don't make me laugh. The likes of him don't scare me. I've faced worst." Buffy said, her face twisted into a grimace.

"Really? What?" The Colonel asked genuinely interested.

"Its best to leave it at that. Monsters like him don't deserve ever being remembered. As the saying goes, 'let dead dogs lie.'" She said in a low, borderline threatening, voice. Her pointed emerald eyes fixated onto the Colonel with an intensity that made him shudder violently. Her body language didn't help in the matter.

"Right." He instinctively shifted away from her. He had a feeling that he was digging up old wounds.

"Anyways, this cell is our hit." Colonel Sutlers said.

Major Adar raised his hand. Colonel Sutlers raised an eyebrow but motioned him to talk. "Why are we doing this mission now instead of earlier?"

The Colonel sighed. "I knew one of you was gonna ask that. Well, we, as in the Russian government and the United States, were gonna leave em' be a first. They really weren't doing much 'cept stockpiling weapons."

"Did something change?"

"Yeah something changed. Twenty-five dead children is what changed. A squeak, otherwise known as a snitch within the group, said to the Russians that Hedeon and his merry band of friends tortured, maimed and slaughtered the children. That's not the worst part. The deranged bastards ate them."

Everyone was silent.

"The reason why we were given this assignment was for two reasons. First of all, that the head bastard was born an American but since renounced his citizenship. Second of all, two of the kids were in the process of bein' adopted by a family back in the states."

Major Adar looked at the Colonel's solemn expression and at the enraged ones of Buffy and the Lt. Colonel's. "I will never be comfortable taking another human's life." He gave a slight smirk. "Good thing that this monster isn't human."

"My sentiments exactly." Buffy said.

"No real human would ever do that to other people, let alone children." Colonel West said. "Let's put a bullet in this monster's fuckin' face."

"Hell yeah."

The Pack meticulously readied themselves for the coming mission.

Having spent several months undergoing special training in groups for a variety of reasons - the two Colonels and Major Adar, Buffy and two others - the summer months had come and gone. Winter was just reaching its early stages and already there was several inches of snow on the Russian ground. All their gear had to be camouflaged in white in order not to attract attention. Several layers of clothing was first. The white boots, pants, and jackets came last. Carefully, they packed away the necessary gear and grabbed their respective weapons.

Since the plane couldn't land, the four would have to parachute down to the surface. The group slipped them on and fastened it in the front. After that was done, they all checked each others chutes, checking to making sure they had been packed properly and other possible complications. After that was done, they were ready.

They sat patently, waiting for the plane's interior light, which gave them the signal to jump, to switch from red to green.

"You know, even with the horrible things this monster has done, there are anyways ones out there." Buffy said

The men looked at themselves. They knew truth rang in those words. Before they could ponder over them, the light switched to green and the hatch opened. They were off.

Sutlers was the first to land, West was not too far behind him. Adar soon followed and lastly, Buffy.

They cut off their parachutes and stowed them away in their respective packs for a possible later use. After making a lost cursory check over their weapons, they made their way forward. They walked in a semi- straight line according to rank.

The sky was clear save for a cloud or two. The land the group walked was protected by the Siberian Larch. The large trees littered the grounds in clusters, in forests. Their branches covered in layers of snow. They also provided the group traveling within its bowels with a relatively safe pathway in which they could travel.

The leader held up his left, gloved hand up. The rest stopped. The leader motioned to the group to look down.

They all followed his line of sight and saw an man.

The man was large. At least six and a half feet tall and 190 pounds. He made no attempt to camouflage himself. He wore a brown clothing made out of what seemed to be of a bear. The man was smoking a clay pipe - seemingly carefree - with a shotgun slug over his monstrous shoulders. Also, he was a known companion of Kazimir Hedeon .

"I got him." mouthed Buffy. Sutlers motioned her to go. The rest of the Pack continued forward.

She separated from the group, weaving in and out the clusters of trees while crouching low to the ground. She made her way through and, once she found a spot that fit to her liking, she crouched low to the ground. She slung the white painted M3A1 over her shoulder and grabbed one of her personally made throwing knives - 4 inch blade with a streamlined body and a 1 inch black hilt - and prepared to throw.

Her aim was impeccable. She had managed to land the blade in between the man's eyes all the way up to the hilt. He had never saw it coming.

He fell backward, dead instantly.

The clay pipe still lit in the man's lips was smothered by the snow and soon its light faded into nothingness.

Buffy surveyed the scene. She saw her three fellow Pack members, heading toward Hedeon's location, were several hundred meters ahead of her. Without her superior eyesight, she'd never would had been able to spot them through the dense Larch.

'Eyes of an eagle, the damn best,' she thought.

Once her survey of the scene was done, she grabbed her M3A1 for her back and continued forward. She walked toward the man, put her booted foot on his head and yanked her blade from the man's skull. There was a sickening plop. The blade was amazingly clean, not a hint of blood or brain matter. She quickly re-sheathed it.

She straightened her back and left to rejoin the Pack.

She could heard the distinctive sound of the discharge of bullets leaving their chambers. Her sensitive nose could smell the unforgettable scent of gunpowder. She could also smell the bitter iron tang of blood, a large amount at that.

She ran faster, no longer caring about hiding her approach. Going as fast as a cheetah, she arrived in less than ten seconds.

She took in the scene in under less time.

It was in a small clearing, the tree line no more then 100 meters wide. Her three fellow Pack mates were pinned down at the rightmost tree line. The enemy numbered in the twenties. Twenty-six, three others dead, to be exact if her senses were correct, which they always were. Most of them weren't even taking advantage of any cover that was available to them. They stood up plain view, shooting randomly into the trees - loosing the snow that had gathered on the branches - effectively forcing the highly trained and elite soldiers to take cover in order to avoid the hail of bullets being sent their way.

Buffy narrowed her eyes. She was lucky for she had managed to come out on a fairly large hill the gave her an impeccable view of both sides. She quickly got on her stomach, dug the M3A1 into the snow, and aimed the barrel at one of the men shooting at her guys. Her eyes combined with her fast reflexes allowed her to take out five men before they noticed her. The men she had shot were covered in bloody holes and, luckily for them, dead before they hit the ground with a resounding thuds. Their comrades stared at the empty shells that once held known souls. Their firing stopped for a second.

That was all that they needed. The three once pinned men peeked out of the tree line. They seized the opportunity of their adversaries' absentmindedness and started shooting.

The men came out of their stupor but it was too late. After ten minute firefight, all the men were dead.

Buffy met up back with her Pack mates. They advanced. They found Kazimir Hedeon not long after. He had apparently heard them coming and taken a cyanide pill.

The Pack, after completing their mission, were on the a cargo plane out of the country. Sutlers and Adar were asleep. Only Buffy and West were awake.

"Hey Summers, I want to apologize for what I said earlier. It was unfair of me to judge you solely on your gender and without giving you a chance to prove yourself."

Buffy was in an corner. She was curled up in a ball. She contemplated just ignoring him but decided against it. She sighed. "Don't worry to much about it. Its not like your hurt me or anything."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So quit talking and get some sleep already."

High Command had given the team a short leave in Yokota Airbase in the Tokyo Metropolis Prefecture of the Kantō region of Japan.

Buffy wanted to do some drawings of the local landscape, a fact that so wants to keep to herself at the moment.

She went off-base in the standard fatigues and hat along with a small, black, one pouch backpack in which she carried her supplies.

Walking for around thirty minutes, she finally found the perfect spot along the Tama River's swelled riverbed. Recent rainstorms in the unusually hot upper portions of Japan have left the ordinarily docile river into a monstrously choppy torrent.

It being a Friday afternoon, there were many students walking about. Most in clumps and all wearing some type of uniform.

Buffy paid them no mind. She had found paradise and was determined to draw it. The water, a mixtures of hues of blues and whites, took up most of the twelve by eighteen drawing paper. The small metal and concrete bridge, fifteen feet above the raging river in which students and regular people crossed, was small in comparison.

She had been almost finished the drawing when it happened. She heard the shouts of many people and she whirled toward the source; it was coming from the people on the bridge. They were mashed up on the railing pointing and screaming over the shiny railing. Heightening the sensitivity of her ears and she managed to get a grasp on the situation.

Someone, a young girl, had fallen in the water. In the the clutches of the disgruntled river.

Buffy swerved her head and scanned the churring surface of the river. She caught a glimpse of black, vastly different then the rivers' natural colors against her acute eyes.

She didn't think. All she knew was that someone needed help and she was capable in providing aid.

In to the water she went like an Olympian, barely making a ripple in the already disturbed surface.

Shock was the first thing she felt. The bitting cold water. The shifting currents pulling her to and fro. For a second, she stopped moving, allowing body to adjust itself to the sudden change. Then, she was off like a bullet, heading toward the shape and color who had no business in being in the river.

Using the currents to her advantage, she grabbed hold of the girl. Grabbing the girl from the arms and pulling her close so she could wrap her arms in what under normal conditions would be considered a hug, she was swam backward at an angle toward the opposite bank and used only her legs to propel her forward. She didn't stop until she felt a thud as her back collided with solid ground.

The entire rescue had taken under a minute.

To Buffy and, most likely the girl in her arms, it felt much more than that.

Even though her body was empowered, it was still human. Her lungs cried out in pain, desperate for the life-straining air. Her muscles ached. And, most dangerously, she was cold. The fringed temperature might not be cold enough to freeze the water, but it was cold enough that the threat of hypothermia in high, made even higher because of their currently drenched conditions.

She felt someone take the girl off her frame, easing the weight on her diaphragm. She took deep breaths, filling her empty lungs.

"Well. You're lucky that I just so happened to be in the area, Airman. Must have been a convenient coincidence," said a female voice left of her.

She opened her eyes but had to adjust her eyes - it was rather dark under the water. She relied, "I don't believe in coincidences."

The women laughed softly. "I bet you don't. Now tell me, why'd you jump into the river like that. You could've died."

Buffy couldn't respond immediately. At that moment, she began to shiver slightly. The women frowned and clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "We can't have that, now can we?"

She stripped Buffy of the thin jacket portion of the fatigues. Taking off her own black jacket, the brown haired woman draped it over her freezing body. A minute later, two ambulances arrived, whisking both girls to the nearest hospital.

Buffy and the other Airman rode in one while the other girl rode in another.

Buffy took the opportunity to study her fellow countryman. She was older women - at least ten years her senior. She had short fine chocolate brown hair which was combed to the side, chocolate brown eyes to match. By the insignia displayed on her cap, she was also an officer, a captain to be exact.

"So, are you going to tell me why you did it?"

Buffy looked her straight in the eye. "She needed help. I had the skills to help. Simple as that."

"Simple as that huh?" She was quiet a minute then a smile spread across her face. She shook her head." That a refreshing thing to hear nowadays. Anyway, do you mind telling me what's your name and rank?"

"2nd Lt. Buffy Kenn Summers. And yours?"

"Captain Janet Fraiser."

"Nice to meet you, Captain Fraiser."

"Likewise."

Buffy closed her eyes and lifted the sheets of the gurney.

Gurney. Ambulance. Hospital.

'Oh shit.'

Buffy's eyes flew open. The machines she had apparently been hooked up to started going crazy. The paramedics and Janet all jumped.

"Summers? What's wrong?" Janet said alarmed.

Buffy ignored her. She turned to the paramedic. "Where is this going?" She demanded in Japanese.

"Um, well, the hospital."

Buffy's brain stopped working. A hospital. The worst place imaginable. Buffy let out a pitiful noise and shrank back onto the gurney.

"Ugh! I hate hospitals!"

"Ah, you have nosocomephobia." Janet said understandingly, her eyes returning to their natural size.

"Yeah I do. Now let me off this bed!" Buffy begged.

"As a medical professional, I can't do that."

"Your a doc?"

"Yup."

"Oh, I have a feeling your gonna hold this over me for a long time."

"Oh yes." Janet proclaimed, a wicked smile making its way a cross her face.

"Ugh!"

Luckily for Buffy, all she had to endure was a couple of tests given as a procaution.

The girl she rescued wasn't so lucky. She was taken to the hospital with a mild case of hypothermia and had to stay in the hospital for a couple days under observation.

"Captain Fraiser, can I ask you a question?" Buffy asked. She was sitting on one of the universally comfortable chairs that existed in all hospitals while Janet was filling out the paperwork transferring her care to the base's sickbay.

Janet looked up from her work and said, "Depends on the question."

'Well, at least she was honest.' Buffy thought. "I just wanna know what room that girl is."

"The doctors here already updated you on her condition." Janet stated.

"I know. Its just that I wanna see first hand that she ok…" Buffy mumbled.

Janet looked at her. She sighed. She reached into her pocket and produced a piece of paper. "Go ahead. Meet me later."

Buffy smiled wide, almost like a child receiving candy. "Thanks Captain," she said as she saluted and walked away.

"That girl…" Janet mumbled under her breath and shaking her head, "She going to be the death of me."

Buffy found the room easily. She stood outside the room, gathering up the courage to turn the knob and enter. After two full minutes, she finally did.

"Pardon the intrusion." said Buffy as she entered and walked in.

Instantly, she scanned the room. The walls were painted white with pictures in frames strategically placed to make it give off the home-like feel. Their was little in the way of furniture, only a small table in the far left corner next to the window, a large chestnut drawer opposite of the table, a smaller side drawer and a TV on the left corner of the wall intersection of where she was standing. All surrounding a medical bed on which the girl Buffy had saved was located.

The girl was young, most likely a high school student. She had raven-black hair and a pair of deep brown eyes to match.

"My name os Summers Buffy. (1) May I ask how you are feeling?"

"Oh, wait. Are you the one who rescued me?"

"Um, yes… it wasn't that big of a deal…"

"Oh, yes it was! You saved me!"

"I'm sure that someone else would've stepped in if I wasn't there."

"Maybe so, but you were. Please accept my gratitude."

"Its...not really necessary to thank me, but, if it helps you, I will accept. Now that we got that out of the way, you mind telling me your name?"

"Oh how rude of me. My name is Daisaki Torako but you can call me Torako."

"Are you sure?" (2)

"Yes."

"Ok then, you can called me Kenn."

"Kenn? Didn't you just say that your first name was Buffy?"

"Um, well, I prefer to go by my middle name."

"Really? Weird."

With that, it was the birth of a beautiful friendship.

After talking for a few minutes, had Buffy to go.

"Sorry, but I really have to go. My Captain's waiting for me." Buffy explained apologetically.

"Can we keep in touch?"

Buffy blinked, surprised, then smiled faintly. "Sure, tell me your address and I'll write when I can."

"Don't you need a piece of paper to write it down?"

"Nah, I got a photographic memory. I'll remember."

"Really? That's cool. It must be great, not forgetting things."

"Its really not so great." She said quietly, tilting her head away. "There are many things I'd rather forget."

Torako said nothing more on the subject. She told Buffy her address and smiled as Buffy vacated the room.

Buffy gave the high school girl one final wave and smile before she closed the door behind her. After the door gave a final click, she rested her head on the white wood. Her smile fell and her eyes closed. She took a deep breath and pushed herself off and head to where Captain Fraiser was.

'This memory of mine, ' she thought, 'is both a curse and a gift.'

An elephant's memory, something she wouldn't give to anyone.

She sighed. Her thoughts were getting a tad depressing for her liking.

She walked on. Heading to meet the Captain then back to the base. There was no need to try to head back and retrieve her stuff.

She glanced outside. It had been raining ever since they arrived at the hospital and only just minutes before had it stopped.

She met up with Janet who told her to go on without her to the base. Buffy nodded in understanding a began the thirty minute walk back. The hospital she'd been taken to only added two more minutes to her trek.

As she walked, she saw a mother and child leave their home and head into the direction that she had just come from. The child was no older then four. She had light brown hair with brown eyes and the woman next to her, which Buffy assumed to the girl's mother had the same characteristics.

"Okaa-san, are we going to see Otou-san?" the little girl asked. (3)

"Yes, Mai-chan. After Otou-san gets better, we'll move to the new house in Shibuya."

"Really? Yay!"

Buffy glanced at the nameplate on the gate surrounding the house. It read Taniyama. 'Huh,' Buffy thought, 'what a lovely family.'

Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition for our existence.

― Sholem Asch

(1) The Japanese say their family name first and their first name last. Buffy's just following the culture.

(2) To refer someone by their first name is considered highly intimate in Japanese culture and traditionally, only close friends do. Family members use the suffixes -kun and -chan for younger boys and girls respectably attached to name.

(3) Okaa-san is Mother, Otou-san is Dad

A/N: Remember people, this is a work of FICTION written by a high school student.

I wanted to keep some of the Japanese aspect in it to spice it a bit

Also, I'd like to apologize for the unexpectedly long hiatus... I'll try to update faster. -_-


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A/N: When I went back and read over the earlier chapters, I was a tad horrified with them so I decided to revise them. I kinda feel sorry for making you read those chapters riddled with mistakes… Anyways, here's Chapter 7! Hope y'all like it.

* * *

A friend should be one in whose understanding and virtue we can equally confide, and whose opinion we can value at once for its justness and its sincerity.  
-Robert Hall

* * *

December 14, 1994

"Hey! Uncle Mark! I'm home and I brought a guest!" Buffy yelled as she ran into her little ranch house. She was in her camouflage still covered in stains from her latest mission. Her bag - a black backpack which showed clear signs of constant use - that she had draped over one shoulder was unceremoniously dropped onto the maple floorboards.

She looked back behind her, motioning enthusiastically to someone just outside the confines of the front door. Buffy turned back into the interior of the house as her sensitive ears picked up the distinctive sound of her uncle's heavy footfalls.

Mark strolled into the room with a bright goofy smile on his face. His old eyes stared at his niece, assuring himself that she was there. He place his weathered hands on her small shoulders.

"Kenn," he said with his voice full of warmth, "Your home. Welcome back."

Buffy, misty-eyed responded. "Yeah, I'm home." With that she launched herself into his arms, digging her head ever deeper into his chest.

"Um…Kenn? Sorry to break the moment but, uh, would you introduce me? There's a couple kids giving me some odd looks."

Buffy and Mark released each other from their reunion hug.

"Uncle Mark, I wanna introduce you to someone." Buffy gave the man a bright smile. She grabbed his right hand and led him out the front door.

There in all her glory stood the redheaded Janet Frasier, waved of sweat cascading down her forehead as over ten children stood in a line staring intensely at her, eyes narrowed and frowning. With a bag over her shoulder, she gripped the straps as if her life depended on it. She visibly relaxed as she saw Buffy come out of the house.

"Hey, she's with me, ya little monsters." Buffy said to the children.

"Are you sure she ain't gonna do anything, Miss Kenn?" the oldest of the bunch - a fourteen year old hispanic girl - asked.

"Yes, I'm positive. Also, I told you many times to call me Kenn. Just Kenn."

"But Miss Kenn, my mami and papi and tio (1) work for your tio. It doesn't seem right to just call you by your nickname."

Buffy sighed. Knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere, she let it go. "Ok, ok. Y'all can go back to doin' what you were doin' before."

The children smiled, contrary to their previous expressions, and ran off.

"Uh, Kenn. What was that?"

"Don't worry about it. Anyways, I'd like to introduce you to my uncle."

Mark smiled at the smaller redheaded woman, walked around Buffy, and gave the woman a bone-crushing hug.

Buffy laughed and said, "Welcome to the family."

* * *

Previously:

August 6, 1998

It was the same procedure she had done the first time she arrived at the Mountain.

Nevertheless something was different. Well, the procedure was the same. It was her that was different.

Now, she wore lovely white gauze around her head.

Great. Just great.

She walked toward the 'Stargate' as she was informed the giant rock ring was called. Apparently, the Stargate was a worm hole that transported someone to another planet. The 'traveler' would be broken down into subatomic particles as they entered and be reassembled as the pass through the receiving Gate.

She spent over three hours trying to make sense of the packet handed to her by that bastard O'Neill. He acted like Colonel Sutlers.

All play, no work, horrid handwriting, confusing word choices, earned cocky attitude, lobbing all the accursed paperwork at the rank underneath and leaving the most important information at the bottom of a pile of papers.

Like, for example, a memo that changes the days' meeting from 1200 to 0900.

She sighed. How she was going to make it through another day with the team the reminded her so much of the 'Pack' as they were known, she didn't know.

She sighed again as the doors the meeting room came into her sights.

Bracing herself, she opened the door and stepped inside.

She opened the door and walked confidently towards the empty chair in between Captain Sam Carter and the General on the left side of the table, her back to the window allowing one to view the Stargate. Opposite of the General was the large and exceptionally build Jaffa named Teal'c. To his left sat the nerdy looking archeologist Daniel Jackson and, sitting in between him and General, was the greying and annoyed looking Colonel Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill.

Buffy schooled her features, allowing none of the animosity at both the situation and some of the people around the table to show through. After all, the archeologist and the Jaffa messed with horse, something that no one gotten away with in the past much less the present.

"Now that we are all present, Major Summers, I'd like to introduce you to our flag team SG-1." the General said, not knowing they had met under less savory circumstances. "This is Colonel Jack O'Neill and he is both the CO of this team and my second in command. To your left is Captain Samantha Carter and she's the scientific contributor as well as one hell of a fighter. Her counterpart is Dr. Daniel Jackson though he mostly deals with the historical and linguistic departments. Last but not least, Teal'c, a former first Prime of Apophis."

After he was done, Buffy gave them a large smile, saluted at each one when they were introduced and promptly sat down.

"Nice meet you." she said in a pleasantly calm voice.

SG-1 gave each other odd looks. This was not the women who they met previously. The one red in the face both due to the blood oozing down her forehead and out of anger at their unexpected intrusion.

Sam was the first to react. "Nice to meet you as well, Major."

Daniel was the second. "Um, nice meeting you Major Summers. I'd very much appreciate if you call me Daniel."

"Much obliged but I'd rather not demean your profession by addressing you as such."

"No demeaning done. Simply informal addressing."

"Such informality is unbecoming toward someone I just met."

"Only in some cultures, but not in ours."

"What you are comfortable with and what I am comfortable with are to vastly different things. For instance, you might be comfortable using a persons first name, while I am not. Do you understand?"

"Well, I can see your reasoning…"

"Uh, Danny?" Jack asked cutting into the conversation.

"Yes?"

"Well, can you tell the rest of the class about your little chit-chat with our little Major over there."

"What are you talking about Jack?" Daniel didn't what the silver haired Colonel was getting at. They were all at the table and as such should've clearly heard their little play-by-play.

"Well, after saying 'Nice to meet you', you both began speaking gibberish." He said, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"It wasn't gibberish." The light blonde began," but it was Greek. You probably just not have noticed when the transition between languages occurred." she said speaking toward Daniel.

All but the General couldn't help but stare at her wide, bright smile with a hint of suspicion.

"Captain Carter, would you show Major Summers around?" Although the General phrased it as a question, everyone around the table knew it was an order.

"What about us?", asked Jack, waving at Teal'c's and Daniel's general direction.

"I have some topics to cover with ya'll concerning your last mission." General Hammond said in an icy cold tone along with a narrowing of his eyes.

The trio paled considerably.

Sam, deciding nothing good will come out of that discussion, stood up and ushered the Major out of the room and into the adjacent hallway.

* * *

For the next hour or so, Sam showed her the most essential rooms within the mountain such as the armory, infirmary, and mess hall.

To her, the Major seemed to make it point to stay as far away from her as politely possible and, for the life of her, she couldn't understand why. She was almost positive that she took a shower this morning. Almost being the operative word for Sam had, in the morning, been lost in the world of technology and was only pulled out of it by an alarm clock marking the time she should make her way toward the meeting room.

Besides the whole distance thing, she still talked to her which was a plus but most of their conversation was a simple question and answer session. No personality, simply bland and informative.

Not that Sam didn't try to get the Major to open up a bit more. It was simply that the Major ignored and deflected any of her attempts for any type of personal conversation.

She had been unable to gather any more information than what the Colonel had told them on that day of a bombshell of a meet and greet a few days ago. All information, including that of her pre-Zoo days were highly classified which made Sam even more curious of their new member.

The duo continued to walk through the grey corridors, Sam in front and Buffy two yards behind her.

"Captain Carter." said the Major suddenly.

Sam stopped in her tracks and wiped around quickly. "Uh, yes ma'am?"

"Captain, just address me as Major and also, I'd like to ask you a question."

"Feel free to ask me anything, Major."

"Why do you feel different then everyone else?" The blond narrowed her eyes and tilted her head in concentration.

"Excuse me?" Sam asked taken aback. This was not a question she expected to here from the other woman.

"I don't know how to explain it. It just something about you seems… off." Then the Major began to mumble to herself in a strangle language.

"Well, um, not to long ago, I was briefly the host to a Goa'uld." Sam replied rubbing the back of her head and then stopped.

"Hmm. Maybe that's what I'm feeling then."

Sam nodded then stopped. She scrunched up her face wondering how the hell the Major felt the remnants of Jolinar that remained inside her.

The pair lapsed into silence. Buffy remained her impassive self. Sam fidgeted, nervously hopping from foot to foot with her hands locked together securely behind her back.

"Captain Carter, would like to spar?" The green-eyed blond asked out of nowhere. There was a sparkle in her eye that Sam was sure she liked.

"Spar? S-sure ma'am."

"Well, what are you waiting for Captain? Let's go." Buffy spun on the heels of her boots and walked in the direction of the training room.

Sam couldn't help but shudder a little bit as she trudged toward the room.

'I have a feeling that I'm not going to like this.'

* * *

Two combatants facing each other, both showing not a hint of emotion. Muscles taunt and ready to react at the slightest provocation. But the height difference; it seemed astronomical.

The familiar blond with azure blue eyes stood crouched, knees bent and arms up. The strange, shorter blond stood up right loosely, a dangerous position to be in but, all the same seemed to be the most dangerous of the two.

They continued to stare at one another and, by an unknown signal, they exploded into action.

The Captain lunged forward, her right hand on a direct path to the Major's head.

The Major didn't so much as blink. She stood firm. Then, at the last possible second, tilted her head out of the path of the speeding bullet that was the Captain's hand.

The Major then proceeded reach up, grabbed the Captain's outstretched right forearm with her left arm while at the same time crouching low to the ground and slammed the larger woman to the ground.

The Captain was left without breath. She curled into herself and struggled for air.

"God…" the Captain wheezed.

The Major straightened up and smirked. "Do you want to go again?"

The Captain nodded. Rising on unsteady feet, she returned into starting position.

This time, the Major launched the first strike. Her arm sailed toward the Captain. The Captain dodged to the left. She then delivered a low spin kick intent on knocking the Major off her feet.

She failed.

The Major, as if sensing her intentions, used her momentum forward, jumped up and flipped over the downed Captain.

The Captain quickly scrambled to her feet. As soon as she got to her feet, the Major landed a uppercut on the poor Captain's chin.

The Captain looked stunned as her head was forced upward. Then a second later, she fell back and landed flat on her back and didn't get up.

The Major walked next to the Captain. She nudged with her boot. "Captain? Hey Captain, you ok?"

The Captain didn't so much as flinch.

"Oh. Well this is a problem." The Major then did the only thing she could've done,

"Medic!"

* * *

"Janet, can I come in?" Buffy asked softly.

The redhead in question turned from the mountains of paperwork piled high on the her wooden desk nestled in the corner of her small office.

With the black pen still resting in between her hands, she looked at the pint-sized blond powerhouse before her.

Smiling, she replied. "Oh course you can, Kenn. You know your always welcome."

"Ugh, today was such a hassle." Buffy said as she flopped down on a velvet rug placed over the concrete ground.

"You know you have to get along with them. They're your team." Janet stated as she turned back to her work.

"I don't want to." Buffy said softly.

"But you have to."

Buffy ran her hand over her worn face. "I know." she whispered.

"So," Janet asked steering away from the darkening mood, "how was the first official meeting?"

"It went swimmingly."

"Meaning…"

"I made a hell of an entrance, introduced by General, started a conversation with Dr. Jackson about the use of informality among cultures while switching the language without him noticing, received suspicious stares, had a grand tour with Captain Carter, sparred a little bit and accidentally knocked her out then I came here. She's alright by the way."

Janet raised an eyebrow. "Well…I guess that was the best possible scenario for you at least."

"Are you implying I'm a troublemaker?" Buffy exclaimed.

"Yes." Janet said deadpanned.

Buffy rolled her eyes at the older woman.

The pair was silent for a few minutes.

"Kenn…you know your plan won't work."

"Plan?" Buffy asked innocently enough.

Janet slammed her pen on the desk and she spun around in her chair. "Don't pretend. I know you better than anybody else besides your uncle. Aren't I your confidant?"

"Yes." Buffy said tiredly.

"Then why are you being coy with me?"

"Jay…why do I have to tell you if you should already know?" Buffy asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

"I want you to tell me." Janet said with her chin stubbornly in the air.

Buffy gritted her teeth. "Then ask me a question I can answer."

"Why are you creating barriers against them?"

"Because I don't want to get close to them." Buffy angrily said in a low voice.

"I get that but why this team in particular. You didn't act like this with Yang and Rodrigues when Adar died."

"I have my reasons."

Janet sighed. Getting information out of the SF was proving to be more difficult than she had previously thought.

"Fine, don't tell me. Just…stop torturing yourself." The redhead said defeated.

Buffy said nothing, choosing instead to start at the grey ceiling. Janet spun her chair back and picked up her pen. She had only just place the point of the black ink pen on the paper when she felt two arm wrap themselves around neck and a chin rest itself on her head. She closed her eyes and leaned back, digging herself more into the embrace.

"Don't worry about me, Jay. I'll be fine."

"I can't help but worry. We're family in all but blood." The doctor whispered. They were a family; her, Buffy and Mark. She was practically Mark's adoptive daughter for pete's sake.

"Don't worry." Buffy repeated, tightening her hug before releasing the redhead. She then flopped back on to her chosen place of the rug and closed her eyes. Janet in turn open her eyes, looked over to the Major and turned back to her work.

The two had grown close over the years since they first met each other in Japan.

The duo then maintained a rather comfortable silent between them. Janet's occasional tap of her pen and Buffy's deepening breath permeated the room, giving it a sense of tranquility.

A peaceful area where the two warriors escaped their respective demons and licked their wounds.

The death they witnessed on such a daily occurrence marked their very souls. Ghosts of the past whispering nonsense is their tired ears, pleading, begging, and cursing their names. The lives Kenn the Black Wolf took; lived Jay the Medic couldn't save.

As the clock made a full rotation on its axis, Janet's consistent tapping slowed until it eventually died down.

After several days of inadequate sleep, the medic felt her eyes grow heavy with each blink. Words on the documents in front of her blurred, letters melted in with each other. When the effort of opening her eyes became too much, she rested her head down on the desk and floated into oblivion.

* * *

Jack grumbled as he lead Daniel and Teal'c down the labyrinth that was Stargate Command. After getting chewed out by the General over their little…accident off-world-Carter having escaped due to not being present, forced to stay behind and help the Samlings with their lab work- it seemed things couldn't get any worse.

Then, Walter came up to him right after the General's little scolding was over and informed him that Carter was in the infirmary. Apparently, their new Major managed to land a hit a tad to hard in the wrong place and knocked her right out.

The trio made their way toward the infirmary. They found their Captain awake and responsive, arguing with the brown headed doctor in charge to release her.

"I'm fine! It was just a let bump."

"Sure…but you still have to stay here just as a precaution." the Doctor said. "We got to make sure you don't have any lasting damage. That hit had a lot of force behind it as it was and, if the Major had hit harder which I confidently estimate she can, well, let's just say you wouldn't be talking."

"Fine Dr. Azarov." Sam slumped back on the hospital bed.

"Hey Carter. Took a small nap now did ya?"

The second she heard her superior officers' voice, she groaned and seemingly shrank deeper in the bed.

"SamanthaCarter, are you alright?"  
asked Teal'c.

"Just fine Teal'c. Just my pride was injured."

"Well Carter, that bruise on your chin begs to differ."

Sam didn't reply.

"So, Sam. How was it?" Daniel asked.

"To be honest," Sam said as a smile threatened to overtake her face, "That was the most fun I had in ages."

"Huh, Carter's excited and no tech was involved. Maybe we will keep her." The Colonel said with a grin on his face.

Teal'c looked at the Colonel. "SamanthaCarter's amusement is reason enough to established MajorBuffyKennSummers' credentials and credibility?"

"In my book it is." Jack said semi-seriously. "Also, the fact that she beat Carter so fast and hard proves that she can handle herself in the field."

Sam blushed slightly at the indirect praise from her position on hospital bed.

"Well," Jack said. "I guess we'll find out how she handles gate travel later on." Jack smiled a secret smile and left the group to their own thoughts.

* * *

(1) Mom, dad and uncle respectively

Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story.  
-Casey Stengel


End file.
